Article orienting means



June 6, 1950 D, HRlsTlE 2,510,555

ARTICLE ORIENTING MEANS i Filed Aug. 30, 1949 l h f JNVENTOR. fw/5 0. CHR/s 7/5 ATTORNEYS Patented June 6,l 1950 UNVISDY ARTICLE RIENTING MEANS Lewis D. Christie, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Remington Arms Company, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application August so, 1949, serial No. 113,194`

8 Claims. (Cl. Sli-'23) This invention relates to apparatus for securing an orderly arrangement of longitudinally asymmetric articles in uniform positions of orientation. More specifically, the invention contemplates an improved method and equipment for arranging bullets or projectiles heel-down in apertures in a loading plate from which the bullets can be directly transferred to cartridge cases or shells which have been arranged in an identical pattern.

In the loading or assembly of cartridges, it is common practice to arrange primed shells in a pattern of a desired number and configuration -and to load the shells so arranged with a powder charge. Bullets are arranged in a similar pattern. The bullet holding plate is superposed over theshells and the bullets are dropped from the loading plate, ready to be pressed into the mouths of the shells. For the purpose of arranging the bullets, an apertured plate is placed on a vibrating frame, sometimes in a slightly inclined position, and a mass of the bullets is caused to now across the plate. If the bullets are short as compared with their length, it has hitherto been deemed impracticable to cause them to enter the plate apertures heel-down, and hitherto loading plates have been so designed as to secure the Ynose--down entrance as illustrated in the patent to Huddleson et al., No. 2,413,047. When this is done, it is usually necessary to transfer the `termediate movement into a transfer plate.

In the drawings: Fig. l is an exploded perspective of a fragment AVof a complete loading plate, embodying one form of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of i a plate, embodying the present invention mounted on an inclined vibrating platform.

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 and illustrates the application of the invention to bullets of different proportions.

vThe complete loading plate or assembly comprises an upper receiving plate I0, a stop sheet Il, a lower guide plate I2, and a pin sheet i3. which pin sheet is an important element of the present invention. Secured between the lateral.

margins of upper plate IIJ and lower plate I2 are guide strips I dening a passage adapted to receive the relatively movable stop sheet I l. Upper plate I0, guides I 2U, and lower plate I2 'are rigidly secured together by suitable means such Vas pins or rivets I4, and the assembly is perforated with thedes'ired number and arrangement of bulletfreceiving openings I5. A fragment only of the Iplate has been illustrated. An

actual production plate may be of any desired size comprising", for "e`: ample, about 360 openings. The openingsl of the upper plate Ill comprise cylindrical landfportions I 5I of such diameter as to looselyreceive the maximum diameter of the cylindrical body of the bullets to be arranged. Above the gland' portion I5I is a substantially widened or flared mouth portion I6 preferably of such'peripheral configuration as to merge with the periphery oi` theland I5I. Preferably, also, the flare 'orf taper of mouth portion I6 is such that the intersection of the adjacent mouths at the upper surface of plate I0 leavesa minimum of nat plate I area. As illustrated, adjacent each other.

The 4stop sheet II comprises a set of apertures I8 corresponding to openings I5 in plate Ill. Each of these apertures is of substantially keyhole shape and comprises a main portion of a diameter equal to the diameter of the openings I 5 and a sideportionIS ofsmaller diameter adapted when the stop sheet is shifted to effective position to receive 'the support pins to be described. "Movement of the stop sheet is preferably limited by the engagement in a slot 20 there'- `mouths are tangent or very nearly tangent to 'in of a pin'ZI projecting into said slot from one of the plates l0 and I2. To facilitate its manipulation, stop sheet II may be provided with pro"- jectin'g end portions, one'of which is shown as r2li. The function ofthe stop sheet is to hold the bullets in the upper plate lil while the loaded plate is transferred to a position above the' shell plate, in which position it is shifted to release the bullets for passage through the guide plate into the shell mouths. It will be apparent that when the stop sheet is shifted to the right from its Fig. 2 position, it furnishes a support for thus holding the-bulletsin plate Ill and that when it is in the Fig. 2 position, the-passage of the bullets into plate I 2' is unobstructed.

The bottomor guide plate I2 comprises a set ing means such -asA studs 29 adapted to be received in apertures 30 in bottom plate l2, whereby each pin 2B is centrally disposed in one of 

